Qantas Pay (formerly Qantas travel money card). The lowdown

Wherever you travel in the world, you are going to need a convenient way to access your money abroad. Over the last decade especially, we’ve seen a whole array of new travel money card options outside of your brick and mortar exchanges to get foreign currency.

You may have booked some flights with Qantas but Qantas also offers customers a travel money card that can be used on trips. This article will get to know the ins and outs of the new Qantas Pay card.

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What is the Qantas Pay travel money prepaid card

The Qantas Pay card is a new standalone reloadable multi-currency card offered by Qantas and Mastercard. It is replacing the existing Qantas Travel Money card which was built into a Qantas Frequent Flyer member card.¹

Who is this card for?

The Qantas Pay card is useful for anyone travelling abroad and wants to spend and reload their money into different currencies. Users will also be able to lock in exchange rates at any time and use the card at home in Australia, on overseas trips and online.¹

What are the main features and benefits of this card

The main features and benefits of this card include¹:

• Easily access and load money worldwide
• Use it in ATMS at home and overseas
• Access to emergency funds if you lose your card
• Fraud protection through Mastercard Zero Liability²
• 24/7 global support²

You’ll also earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points on every purchase. You’ll earn 1.5 points for every $1 spent in a foreign currency and 1 point for every $4 spent in AUD.²

List of supported currencies

The Qantas Pay card supports 10 currencies including¹:

• United States Dollar (USD)
• Great British Pound (GBP)
• European Euro (EUR)
• Thai Baht (THB)
• New Zealand Dollar (NZD)
• Singapore Dollar (SGD)
• Hong Kong Dollar (HKD)
• Canadian Dollar (CAD)
• Japanese Yen (JPY)
• United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED)

You can also load AUD on to this card and spend this instead of locking in any of the above currencies.

The cons of using this card

Some cons for the Qantas Pay card include:

• Only 10 currencies available to hold
• Varied exchange rates depending on transactions²
• Only physical card option
• Must be a frequent flyer member²

One key issue with reloadable travel cards like this one is that when you lock in an exchange rate, it could mean missing out on a more favourable one down the line.

The limits you get with this card

There is no minimum balance required to be held but there are some other key account limits to be aware of including¹:

• Max load of $20,000 AUD in 24 hours
• Max of $3000 AUD from ATM withdrawals in 24 hours
• Max of $15,000 for Point of Sale purchase in 24 hours
• Max balance and load of $100,000 AUD per year

Each customer is only eligible for one Qantas Pay card at a time.

What are the fees for this card vs Wise card

Dealing in foreign currency can bring with it extra fees, even if they aren’t clear upfront. Here are some of the fees you can expect to pay using the Qantas Pay card. To see how it compares, we’ll compare it with Wise, an alternative provider.

Fees in AUD	Qantas Pay travel card*³	Wise Card*
Card order fee	Free	$10
Minimum load amount	$50	$1 AUD
Max spendable balance on card/account	AUD$50,000	No limits, depending on currency. See here
Monthly/yearly maintenance fee	No fee	No fee
Digital card available?	No	Yes (see cards here)
ATM fees	Varies by currency. Fees to withdraw: AUD = $1.95 USD = $1.95 GBP = 1.25 EUR = 1.50 THB = 70 NZD = $2.50 SGD = $2.50 HKD = $15.00 CAD = $2.00 JPY = 160 AED = 6.50 Note: ATM service providers may charge their own fees	Less than 2 withdrawals that equal $350 per month is free More than 3 withdrawals to take out $350 is $1.50 per each withdraw More than $350 per month in 2 or less withdrawals = 1.75% fee of total More than 3 withdrawals and more than $350 = $1.50 AUD + 1.75% of amount over $350 See more pricing here Note: ATM service providers may charge their own fees
International payments fee % for spending 100 AUD in GBP	No international transaction fees but two exchange rates depending on if spending or loading currencies	Variable fee starting from 0.39% if a currency conversion is needed for the payment. See 100 AUD spent in GBP
Exchange rate used	Margin included	Mid-market rate

*As seen on 21 May 2024

Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up-to-date pricing and fee information.

Qantas Pay travel money card exchange rates

The exchange rates are determined by Qantas and Mastercard and vary depending on the type of transaction. However, there will be a margin charged in the available rate. This margin can vary based on if you are loading your card with funds, or spending AUD in another currency.

The spend rate is known as the Qantas Daily Rate and changes based on the moving exchange rate.¹ The load rate is locked in daily and published on the Qantas money website.³

We’ll do an example calculation of what spending and loading 100 AUD in GBP looks like on the Qantas Pay card. We’ll compare this with Wise, an alternative provider of a multi-currency card option.

Qantas Pay Spend GBP³	Qantas Pay load rate GBP³	Wise GBP⁴
Qantas Daily Rate is $1 AUD = 0.4963 GBP If you have 100 AUD loaded, you will be able spend 49.63 GBP	To load GBP, you’ll be locking an exchange rate of $1 AUD = 0.4955 GBP If you load $100 AUD into GBP, a balance of 49.55 GBP will be in your account.	Wise mid-market rate is $1 AUD = 0.524517 GBP Wise charges a small fixed fee of 0.39 cents. If you spend $100 AUD, you will be able to spend 52.25 GBP with the fee already incorporated into the calculation.

*As seen on 21 May 2024

As you can see from above, you get more GBP for your AUD with Wise compared to the Qantas Pay card.

How do you get a Qantas Pay travel card

All customers are able to apply for a Qantas Pay travel card from the 21st May 2024.. How to apply is based on whether you are a pre-existing customer or not.⁵

Existing Qantas Travel Money customers

For those with an active Qantas Travel Money card, you will only need to apply if you want to have your own Qantas Pay card. If you don’t want one straight away, you don’t have to do anything except continue using your Qantas Travel Money card until it expires. For new customers, read on.⁵

What are the eligibility requirements for getting this card

New customers to Qantas will be able to apply online as long as you meet some eligibility requirements.¹

• You are older than 16 years of age
• You are already a Qantas Frequent Flyer member
• Have an Australian residential address

You will need to provide proof of ID as part of the application process, even if you are already a member. If you’re not a Qantas frequent flyer member, you will need to become one before you can apply for a Qantas Pay card.²

How long does it take to get the card

Once you apply, fill in the online form, prove your identity, and your application gets approved, you’ll receive your card in 5 to 7 days.⁵

How to load and use the card

You can load up your Qantas Pay card online via your account or through the Qantas Money app by using¹:

• Debit or Credit card
• Bank transfer
• BPAY

Each time you want to reload your card, you’ll always have to pay in AUD and then your funds will be converted into the desired currency. The fastest way to pay is through your debit card which can be instant, while bank transfers or BPay can take 1-2 business days.

Security with the Qantas pay card

The Qantas Pay card comes with several in-built security features including¹:

• Card chip
• PIN protected
• Signature Panel

This is combined with the added behind the scenes Fraud protection through Mastercard Zero Liability, which is available across other Qantas cards.

What else do I need to know?

You won’t be able to use your Qantas Pay card for any purchases that involve gambling or adult entertainment. There are also some countries where your card cannot be used including Crimea, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Syria, and Eastern Ukraine. This card and other Mastercard options provided by Qantas and beyond cannot be used in ATMs in Russia.¹

Qantas contact details

To contact Qantas about this card, you can

• Call 13 13 13 from within Australia
• Call +61 1300 825 302 from overseas

Phone lines can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Travel with Wise

With a Wise Account you can hold money in over 40 currencies and spend it in over 150 countries. You can also order local account details in popular world currencies like AUD, NZD, USD, EUR, GBP to receive local and/or international payments like a local.

Whenever you exchange currencies it’s done using the mid-market rate with a transparent conversion fee shown upfront.

To make everyday spending easier you can order a Wise Debit card for your Wise Account and generate virtual cards as needed. If you have the local currency in your Wise Account the Wise card will use it. If you don’t have local currency converted, it uses smart technology to auto-convert your money at the mid-market rate, for a conversion fee.

The Wise card may suit you better if you’re to spend money that you’ve stored in different currencies within an existing Wise Account, and benefit from 2 or less free cash withdrawals under $350 AU, or foreign equivalent, per month (keep in mind that ATM providers may charge their own fees). You can see our full fee breakdown for ATM withdrawals here.

Join over 16 million customers currently using Wise. It’ll only take a few minutes to register and see what’s inside.

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Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up-to-date pricing and fee information.

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Sources:

1. Qantas terms and conditions
2. Qantas Pay page
3. Qantas Pay fees
4. Wise conversion
5. Qantas Pay sign up

Sources checked on: 22 May 2024